**An average of 28.5 direct and indirect jobs per $1 million in R&D funding is used based on the Department of Commerce's Regional Input-Output Modeling System II formula.

University Partnering with DOE Fossil Energy Program on Energy and Environmental Studies

The University of North Dakota and the University of North Dakota Energy and Environmental Research Center (UNDEERC), Grand Forks, ND, are carrying out several Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs) and other projects with DOE focused on coal and power systems.

Jointly Sponsored Research Program - The first CRADA with UNDEERC is valued at $57.00 million (DOE share: $22.72 million) and is a jointly sponsored research program whose purpose is to adequately address those research areas and technologies that may not receive full attention from the private sector due to the risk or cost of the research. Some of the tasks to be performed under the CRADA include: testing of different types of coals, studies of power plant emissions and control devices, development of advanced combustion processes, and CO2 sequestration.

Advanced Fossil Energy Research - A second CRADA between UNDEERC and DOE's Office of Fossil Energy will support the development of advanced research on new concepts for highly efficient, non-polluting energy systems. The research will focus on critical issues such as energy efficiency, air toxics, fine particulate matter, water supply and quality, and zero-net CO2 emissions. DOE is fully funding the agreement at $16.74 million.

Decision Tool for Watershed-Based Effluent Trading - A third CRADA with the Energy & Environmental Research Center will result in a computer-based tool to assist in the regulation of produced water from coal-bed methane production in the Powder River Basin to allow more cost-effective treatment of this water. Watershed based effluent trading is a possible method to achieve reductions in pollutants at lower cost and provide for beneficial use of the produced water in a cost-effective manner. DOE is fully funding the agreement at $120,000.

Mercury Control on Lignite Coals - A fourth CRADA with UNDEERC has as its objective to increase mercury removal from 50% - 90% at power plants burning lignite coals. This will be accomplished using two techniques: 1) in situ enhancement of powdered activated carbons (PAC), and 2) injection of treated carbons. Both of these technologies will be tested in the field at power plants that have electrostatic precipitator systems and also plants that have spray dryer/fabric filter devices. DOE is contributing $3.96 million to this $5.43 million project.

Investigation of Mercury and Carbon-Based Sorbent Reaction Mechanisms - Under a seventh CRADA, the Energy & Environmental Research Center will improve the mercury capture efficiency of carbon-based sorbents in flue gases typical when firing lignite and other low-chlorine, low-sulfur fuels through a better understanding of mercury-sorbent surface bonding. DOE is providing $21,000 of the $57,900 total agreement cost.

National Center for Hydrogen Technology - The National Center for Hydrogen Technology at UNDEERC will focus on the research and development activities that are required to develop advanced hydrogen production, storage and delivery technologies from fossil fuels. The result of these activities will improve current technology and make available new, innovative technology that can produce and deliver affordable hydrogen from coal, the U.S.'s most abundant fuel resource, as well as from other fuels, with significantly reduced or near-zero emissions. DOE is contributing $7.55 million to the $11.30 million Center.

A Guide to Solving Ash Deposition in Coal-Fired Boilers - UNDEERC will assemble the experience gained from numerous projects in areas such as advanced analysis methods for coal and coal ashes and predictive modeling techniques. DOE is fully funding this study at $97,000.

Coal Ash Resources Research Consortium - UNDEERC's Coal Ash Resources Research Consortium (CARRC) will continue to work toward its primary goal to solve ash-related problems and promote the environmentally safe, economic utilization and disposal of coal combustion by-products (CCBs). Secondary goals include the generation of scientific and engineering information regarding regulations and specifications for coal combustion fly ash, the development of improved characterization methods for coal by-products, the demonstration of new or improved coal ash use applications, and technology transfer. DOE is contributing $147,000 to this $394,000 project.

Plains CO2 Reduction Partnership - Phase II - UNDEERC was awarded a $161.6 million (DOE share: $82.91 million) partnership, which is a collaborative regional framework to support the testing and demonstration of CO2 sequestration technologies in the northern Great Plains of North America. The proposed work under Phase II involves four technology validation field trials and two investigations of potential commercially available sequestration concepts. The field trials will include a full suite of monitoring, mitigation, and verification (MMV) and regulatory compliance that will be used to develop protocols for the region. The conduct of these activities, along with continued regional characterization and integration with other regional partnerships, will provide a firm foundation for future large-scale deployments of sequestration technologies and FutureGen development.

Strategic Studies on Coal to Liquid Fuels - UNDEERC will work with industry stakeholders to identify critical research needs in producing hydrogen from coal. This activity allows flexibility in the program for meeting critical DOE and industry needs as they arise. DOE is contributing $841,000 to this $1.06 million task.

Examining Selenium's Role in the Seafood Safety Issue - UNDEERC will examine the protective effects of selenium (Se) against Methylmercury (MeHg) exposure. Using novel cell culture methods, this project will consist of three research experiments. Task 1 will examine the toxic effects of Mercury (Hg) and MeHg in isolated brain tissues. Task 2 will examine the protective effects of Se against Hg and MeHg in isolated brain tissues. Task 3 will computationally model the cellular interactive effects of Hg, MeHg, and Se. DOE is contributing $51,000 to this $147,000 project.

Hydrogen Blending in Duct Burners - UNDEERC will determine the combined effect of flue gas recirculation and hydrogen blending in a natural gas-fired duct burner on NOx emissions, combustion efficiency, and flame stability downstream of a gas turbine in a simulated CCGT. This project will consist of four subtasks: design, installation, testing, and reporting. DOE is contributing $185,000 to this $257,000 project.

Gasification of Texas Lignites - UNDEERC will conduct R&D on the feasibility of utilizing Texas lignites to produce electric power, hydrogen for Texas refineries and the developing hydrogen economy, and carbon dioxide for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) in the local Texas oil fields. Several Texas lignites as well as lignites from the northern Great Plains will be employed to evaluate advanced sulfur removal, hydrogen purification, and carbon dioxide purification processes while using a small bench-scale fluid-bed gasifier. DOE is contributing $1.66 million to this $2.16 million project.

Distributed Hydrogen Supply for Fuel Cells - UNDEERC, in partnership with Kraus Global, Inc., will define and design an integrated process for the utilization of ethanol as an on-demand source of hydrogen fuel. A system design around a high-pressure water reformation (HPWR) process will be developed that uses an alcohol feedstock coupled with a hydrogen dispensing system. DOE is funding $150,000 of this $300,000 project.

Development of Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne's Hydrogen Generator Technology - UNDEERC will further develop the hydrogen generator technology from Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne. The usable fuel feedstocks for the hydrogen generator will be expanded to include heavier hydrocarbons ranging in possibilities from pentane to pulverized coal. The process employed by the technology will be optimized to increase hydrogen purity and to increase the production rate of both hydrogen and CO2. A preliminary design will be produced for a field demonstration unit. DOE is contributing $475,000 to this $924,000 project.

Mercury Removal from Barite for the Oil Industry - UNDEERC will develop a viable technology to reduce the concentration of mercury in Barite ore which is a common component of drilling fluids used by the petroleum industry. DOE is fully funding this $30,000 project.